OF NATURAL HISTORY. 42 1 



a£l in this manner by its own motives, and no general effed is pro- 

 duced by mutual exertions. 



In proper focieties, each individual not only attends to his own 

 prefervation and welfare, but all the members co-operate in certain 

 laborious offices which produce many common advantages that could 

 not otherwife be procured. In fome focieties, the general principle 

 of aflbciation and of mutual labour is purely inftindtive, though, in 

 many cafes, individuals learn, by obfervation and experience, to mo- 

 dify or accommodate this general principle according to particular 

 accidents or circumftances ; fome examples of which have already 

 been given in the chapter upon inftindt. 



The infedl tribes furnifh many inftances of proper focieties. The 

 honey-bees not only labour in common with aftonifhing affiduity 

 and art, but their whole attention and affecSlions feem to centre in 

 the perfon of the queen or fovereign of the hive. She is the bafis of 

 their affociation and of all their operations. When fhe dies by any 

 accident, the whole community are inftantly in diforder. All their 

 labours ceafe. No new cells are conftrufted. Neither honey nor 

 wax are colleded. Nothing but perfed anarchy prevails, till a new 

 queen or female is obtained. The government or fociety of bees is 

 more of a monarchical than of a republican nature. The whole 

 members of the ftate feem to refpefl: and to be diredted by a fingle 

 female. This fadl affords a ftrong inftance of the force and wifdom 

 of Nature. The female alone is the mother of the whole hive, how- 

 ever numerous. Without her the fpecies could not be continued. 

 Nature, therefore, has endowed the reft of the hive with a wonder- 

 ful affedion to their common parent. For the reception of her eggs 

 Nature impels them to conftrudt cells, and to lay up ftores of provi- 

 fions for winter fubfiftence. Thefe operations proceed from pure 

 inftindive impulfes. But every inftind necelfarily fuppofes a degree 



of 



